Rheological behavior of highly filled polymer melts

Abstract

Abstract The rheological behavior of highly filled polymer melts has been examined. At concentrations near the maximum packing fraction, strain‐dependent behavior was observed at strains as low as 1 percent. Selected surface treatments were shown to reduce particle agglomeration. This produced composite melts with lower viscosities and higher maximum loadings. While η* – ω plots provide information on the shear strength of the interparticle network, G ′ – ω plots show evidence of phase separation.